The Synthoid Man
by VinnyLB
Summary: While celebrating the second anniversary of the day they met, Zeta vanishes and Ro is taken hostage by Bennet. Partially inspired by Isaac Asimov's "The Bicentennial Man."
1. The Realization

The Synthoid Man

_The Synthoid Man_   
**by Vanessa**

Disclaimer: I don't own Zeta, Ro, or any of the other characters in "The Zeta Project." I also don't own "The Bicentennial Man" by Isaac Asimov, which inspired this story.   


**Chapter One: The Realization**

"How long has it been, Zee?" 

The snythoid Zeta looked across the small hotel room. He hadn't noticed that Ro Rowan was awake, but she was, and she was staring at him, waiting for an answer. "It has been exactly one year and eleven months," he replied calmly. 

She rolled over on her stomach and propped her head up in her hands. "Almost two years? Wow. I can't believe we've been running from Bennet for that long." 

"He doesn't give up easily." He stood and went to sit beside her. "Ro... I apologize for involving you in this." She laughed at the comment. "What's so funny?" 

"Zee..." She moved closer and rested her head in his holographic lap. "I haven't complained during all this time, and I'm not going to. I don't regret helping you. It's been fun." He smiled down at her and absently ran his fingers through her hair. "Next month we need to come up with some way of celebrating." 

"A two year anniversary of running from Bennet?"   
She laughed. "A two year anniversary of the day we met. We should do something."   
"Like what?" 

"I dunno. We have a month, anyway. I'm sure we'll think of something." She sat up. "Well, I gotta get ready. Places to go, government agents to avoid. And I believe you promised to take me shopping today." 

"Of course." He watched her get up and head off to the bathroom to change. It was so much simpler for him, he thought, accessing his usual outfit. _Nearly two years_, he thought. What would happen to them this time? Their adventures had been exciting and fun, as Ro said, but they were extremely dangerous. It would be easier if he were still on his own, not putting her life in danger. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something happened to her because of him. 

They had been through a lot. So many near misses... He couldn't always be there to save her if she stayed with him. But she stayed, and he was glad she stayed. He enjoyed her company. He loved her. _You are being illogical,_ he told himself. _You must simply be imagining that you are in love with her. After all, a synthoid can't possibly fall in love... can he?_ He sat pondering that until she came back into the room, brushing her hair. 

She grinned at him. "I'm ready, Zee! Let's go shopping!" 

He blinked at her, then smiled. _I do love her..._   
  


"What about this one?"   
"It is beautiful." 

She sighed. "I've tried on at least twelve different outfits, and you say the same thing every time."   
"What's wrong? I thought you liked compliments."   
"Yeah, but could you at least sound like you mean it?"   
"I do mean it. Everything you wear looks beautiful." 

She hugged him. "Awww, that's so sweet! I'll take them all! Cred card, gimme." He shook his head as she hopped off to buy the clothes. Such simple things made her happy, he thought with a smile. A simple compliment on her appearance, new clothing every now and then... and she deserved it all. She deserved to be happy. 

"This has been a great day," she sighed as they walked through the park later that day. "Not just the shopping. It's been so peaceful not having to worry about Bennet." She leaned her head against his shoulder, then froze. "Damn it." 

"Damn what?" 

"Shh! Look, up the path... it's West." He followed her gaze. She was right. It was the clumsy government agent who had been following them from the very beginning. "Someone at the mall must've let Bennet know that we were here." 

"Should we run?" 

"Nah, he'd probably just trip over his own feet trying to catch us. Let's give the guy a break for today." She looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Change us." 

"Grab on." There was a slight distortion of the holographic image as it changed Zeta and Ro into two very nondescript high school students. "He's moving closer," he muttered quietly. "Don't let go." 

"We look kind of suspicious just standing here." 

"You're right." With those words, Zeta pulled her closer and lowered his lips to hers. West walked past them and around the bend, not realizing who they were. Finally, Ro backed away and both of them reverted to their former appearances. 

"Zee, what was that?"   
"That was a kiss."   
"Yeah, but _why_?" 

His expression remained calm, not showing what he really felt at the moment. He had enjoyed kissing her. He wanted to do it again, but she looked ready to slap him. "You said we looked suspicious just standing there holding onto each other, so I did what I felt was necessary to blend in." 

"And was it necessary to kiss me in order to 'blend in'?"   
"Yes."   
"Well..." She looked a little embarrassed. "Will you do it again?"   
"No. It's not necessary to blend in anymore."   
"Oh..." She sounded hurt.   
"Unless of course, you wanted me to." 

She stared at him for a moment, then slowly began to smile as she slipped her arms around him and moved her face very close to his. "Okay," she whispered, and kissed him again. _What are you doing?_ she asked herself. _You can't fall for Zee... he's not even human..._ Still, she couldn't make herself stop at first. Finally, she pushed him away. "No... Zee, this isn't right." 

"Why not?" He sounded as naive as ever, she thought sadly. 

"Because it wouldn't work out," she answered with a sigh, touching his cheek. It seemed cold, like metal. Of course it was, she reminded herself. He was a synthoid. "You're not even human... I'm sorry." She looked away guiltily. "Let's just forget this ever happened." 

"Okay."   
She stared back at him. Even for a robot, he seemed detached. "That's all you have to say?"   
"Is there something else I should say?"   
"No..." She looked at him suspiciously. "Let's get back to the hotel before West comes back this way." 

Zee had an unusual look on his face, a look that Ro knew meant trouble. He was up to something, and he had given in far too easily.   
  
----   
__Chapter Two coming soon! 


	2. Disappearance

The Synthoid Man

_The Synthoid Man_   
**by Vanessa**   


**Chapter Two: Disappearance**

"Malibu Island." 

She looked up from the magazine she had been reading. Zeta was standing over her. "Huh? What about Malibu Island?" 

"You said we should do something special this month, since it's our anniversary. Most people take a vacation, and I liked Malibu Island." 

"You would." She shook her head. How could she forget that first failed vacation that had resulted in an assassination attempt of a major robotics manufacturer? And now, Zee was wanting them to go back there. "Zee, don't you remember what happened last time? Assassination, evil security guards--" 

"Exactly. We couldn't enjoy it the first time. And Bennet never looked for us there." He was looking at her with really big eyes and a hopeful expression. It was a look she couldn't resist, and he knew that. "...Please?" 

She sighed, giving in. "This goes against my judgment, Zee... but you win." He smiled triumphantly. "Only under one condition." 

"I'll take you shopping."   
"Great!" She jumped up, letting the magazine fall to the floor, grabbed his arm, and ran out of the room.   


She had to hand it to Zeta; he really knew how to pick a vacation spot. Malibu Island was as beautiful as she remembered, and he was right. They could appreciate it this time. 

The morning of their second day there, Zee woke up before her. He stared across the room, watching her sleep peacefully, and sighed. Slowly, he walked to her and sat down on the bed. "It's been two years, Ro," he said too quietly for her to hear. "For two years, I have been putting your life in danger. It ends today." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. The holographic human form faded, leaving only the synthoid, staring at her expressionlessly. "I love you." 

When Ro woke up, he was gone. 

It was unusual to wake up in a quiet room. Usually, Zee was snoring on a chair nearby, but not this time. She sat up, looking around the small room for him. "Zee? Hey, Zee, where are you?" Something was wrong. She jumped out of bed and stepped into the empty hall. "Zee?" She searched through the halls for him and eventually came to the main lobby. "Have you seen the man I came here with yesterday?" she asked the woman at the front desk. 

She nodded. "He left here earlier this morning. He asked me to give this to you." She held out a folded piece of paper. Ro snatched it away and read it. 

_ Ro,_   
_ I left before you woke up so that you could not talk me out of what I must do. I will not put your life_   
_ in danger anymore._   
_ Love, Zeta_

"No..." she whispered. "Zee..." Stunned, she headed back for the room, clutching the note tightly in her hand, not even realizing that the door to her room was ajar. She stepped into the room, fighting to keep from crying. It was dark, and she reached for the light switch. 

"Freeze, Rosalie Rowan." There was a sound of a gun cocking, and she flipped the light on. 

"Bennet." He was standing in the middle of the room, Agents West and Lee on either side of him, and their guns were pointed at her. 

"Where's the synthoid?" 

She was silent at first, then her anger and sadness consumed her. She wadded up Zeta's note and hurled it at him. "Why don't you tell me?!" she shouted, her vision blurring with tears. "You seem to follow him everywhere, so you tell me!" 

Lee picked up the note and smoothed out the wrinkles, reading over it before handing it to Bennet. "Zeta's gone, sir." 

"Thanks to you!" Ro cried. "Couldn't you see he wasn't a killer robot? He didn't kill anyone in all the time I was with him, and now he's gone and it's your fault!" She sank into Zee's chair and cried into her hands. "Two years," she choked. "You've been following us around for two years. He would never do anything to hurt me, even if it meant leaving me..." 

"He'll be back," Bennet said coldly, crumbling the note and dropping it. "If Zeta thinks that he's become your _friend_, he'll come back if he knows that you're in danger." 

She glared up at him through her tears. "Burn in_ hell_, Bennet," she growled. He ignored her. 

---   
__Chapter 3 coming soon! 


	3. Surprise

The Synthoid Man

_The Synthoid Man_   
**by Gia**

**Chapter Three: Surprise**

Two days passed with no word from Zeta. Ro was growing more and more desolate, and by the second morning, she refused to even get out of bed or eat. She stayed in bed, the quilt pulled up to her chin, her eyes red from crying. Zee was gone, and he wasn't coming back. Couldn't they see that? 

"You really care about him, don't you?" 

She looked up. Agent Lee was standing beside the bed, a concerned look on her face. She had asked the question quietly; Bennet and West, guarding the door on the other side of the room, hadn't heard her. 

"Why should it matter to you?" Ro growled. 

Lee hesitated. "I guess it shouldn't... After all, Zeta's still a killer robot who only seemed to change after spending time among terrorists." Ro was glaring at her murderously. "At least, that's what Bennet told me the first time I said that I believed Zeta." 

The look faded. "You believe us?" 

She nodded slowly. "I think you're right. If Zeta wanted to kill anyone, he would've done it already. Besides, he's saved my life before, and I know he's saved West. I've seen him protect you more times than I can count. I don't think a killer robot would do any of that." 

"There's no point in talking about it now," Ro said quietly. "Zee's gone, and he's not coming back."   
"You really think he's gone for good?" 

"He was always saying that he didn't want me to get hurt and he wished I would stay behind so my life wouldn't be in danger... and now he's gone." Her eyes stung, but she held the tears back. "I wish he didn't have to be so protective." 

Lee smiled. "He cares about you, too. Be proud of yourself, Ro. You've given a killer robot a heart. And Bennet's right. If Zeta senses that you're in trouble, he'll come." 

At the moment she said that, there was a knock at the door. Bennet and West aimed their guns, and with an apologetic glance at Ro, Lee raised her weapon. "Come in," Bennet ordered. 

The man who stepped into the room was not Zeta, Ro noticed with a sinking feeling. West, staring through his holoviewer, confirmed it. "He's human, sir." 

The young man smiled. "Wade Pennington of Pennington Robotics," he introduced himself, gaining Ro's attention again. Pennington was the brat they had saved from his bodyguard last time they were on Malibu. Maybe he knew something about Zee. "I've heard you've been giving some friends of mine a hard time." 

"Friends?" West echoed. 

Wade nodded. "Zeta and Ro saved my life a couple of years ago. I would have been assassinated if they hadn't helped." 

"Infiltration Unit Zeta assassinates people," Bennet said harshly. "He does not _save_ them from being assassinated. Now, if you don't get out of here, I'll be forced to--" 

"Not so fast," he interrupted. "I think I may have found something you lost." 

Ro leapt out of bed when Zeta came into the room. "Zee!" she cried, running at him and hugging him with such force that he nearly fell over. "Don't you ever, ever leave me like that again!" 

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression," he said with a smile. "I wanted to surprise you."   
She stared up at him questioningly. "Surprise me? What do you mean?"   
"I will not put your life in danger anymore," he said quietly. 

Meanwhile, Agent West was staring through his holoviewer, frowning. "This thing must be malfunctioning," he grumbled. "Either that, or that guy isn't Zeta." 

Bennet took the viewer from him and looked through it. "We've been tricked. That's not Infiltration Unit Zeta. That's not even a synthoid." 

Ro looked back at Zeta. "What's he talking about?"   
"Bennet's right. I'm no longer Infiltration Unit Zeta. I'm now..." He smiled down at her. "Zee." 

"He came to me two days ago," Wade Pennington explained. "It was a risky operation, but I owed him a favor for saving my life. Parts of his positronic brain are still in place, but other than that... Zeta is completely human." 

"You said it would never work because I'm not human," Zee said with a smile, oblivious to the government agents. "I want it to work, Ro. I don't know how it happened, but I am in love with you." 

"Zee..." She threw her arms around him and kissed him. West and Bennet's mouths dropped open in shock. Lee smiled and lowered her gun. 

"There's nothing we can do now, sir," she said. "Zeta's human. If we took him, it would be considered kidnapping." 

"Pennington," Bennet growled. "You have cost us _millions_ of dollars in government equipment." He looked back at Zeta and Ro, speaking quietly to each other and paying no attention to him at all. _So, Zeta's been telling the truth all along_, he thought, and sighed. "I'll tell the government the truth... that the synthoid Zeta was destroyed." Ro and Zee looked at him, surprised, but he motioned to West and Lee and began to walk away. 

"Bennet!" Zeta called. The NSA agent stopped and turned around. Zee smiled. "Thank you..." Bennet simply nodded and walked on. 

Ro watched them leave, then smiled back at Wade. "You don't take favors very lightly, do you?" she asked, taking Zee's hand. 

"You saved my life. It was the least I could do." He turned to walk away. "Good luck, both of you." 

Zee put his arm around Ro, and she gazed up at him. "I told you we'd get you your freedom, didn't I? And now you're human... I can't believe it." 

"I wanted you to love me." 

She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "I _did_ love you, Zee... I always have, and I still do." 

He smiled and took her face in his hands. "Happy anniversary, Ro," he whispered, and kissed her again.   
  
  
  


THE END 

_Okay, there's my first Zeta Project fan fic! Like it? Give me feedback! Hate it? Go away! ;p Sorry for making it so short (I really wanted to make it longer), but this story is going to have a sequel as soon as I finish it. ^_^_

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